Courtesy Photo | Sgt. Sumy Guzman gives a wink to her camera from her Cancun resort balcony. Guzman...... read more read more
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CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE WARHORSE, Iraq – It’s 6 p.m. on a chilly evening at Contingency Operating Base Warhorse, Iraq. Most soldiers are already shuffling out the door from their company command posts after long days on missions, or hours spent in the planning and preparation phase to exercise those missions.
As soldiers pass one another on the way from work, greetings are exchanged among officers, non-commissioned officers and enlisted soldiers.
Many respond with the crisp exchange of good evening, or have a good night, but one sergeant responds in a loud, friendly voice to the people leaving the area.
“Good evening, Sergeant Sachinger,” boomed the loud but clearly feminine voice.
“How you doing this evening Sumy!” he said back, clearly more happy even after a short exchange with Sumy.
Sumy is her name, but in the Army she goes by Sgt. Sumy Guzman, from the 556th Signal Company, 225th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, and works daily in the Base Defense Operations Center at Contingency Operating Base Warhorse. Her job is demanding with long hours that can be spent dealing with incoming fire, or any hazard, which can impact the soldiers operating in the base.
Despite it all, she still wears a smile, which people fondly notice about her.
“Sumy’s my roommate and for as long as I’ve known her, she’s always been one of the most upbeat sergeants I have ever met,” said Sgt. Veronica Davis, 556th Signal Company. “Even on a tough day, she always wears a smile, which just rubs off on people and brightens their day.”
Sumy, is a petite, Latin woman. She stands at 5’4”, with curly dark locks hidden under her Army patrol cap. Although, she’s not a tall woman, her size hides one large fact; she has a zest for life far greater than most soldiers.
“I want to travel the world!” She said with a crinkle around her brown eyes.
Since joining the Army, Sumy has done just that.
While most soldiers are planning their trips back to their hometowns over the holidays, Sumy spends her time online searching, searching for her next big adventure.
“I’ve been to the ruins of Greece and Mexico, the islands of Tahiti, and traveled as far north as Alaska and Canada,” she confided. “Growing up, I never really got to travel to any far places and really ‘see’ the world, so I make up for that time now.”
In her seven years in the Army, if Sumy is not working, she’s exploring, planning, or visiting many places on her “To-Do”-list. Those places range from exotic locations such as Thailand, Antarctica, and even an island like Bora Bora.
“When I was growing up in Los Angeles, I never traveled to the places I always read about in books, or saw on TV,” she remarked. “Those places are truly different and really allow you to experience a different life than the one most Americans are used to.”
Those experiences are what define the raven haired girl from Los Angeles.
“In the Army, lots of the soldiers love to go out and party, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but I want more than to just go to the same place all the time,” she said. “Often, soldiers will even spend a large amount of their paycheck to go out and have that fun in a club or bar. It’s hard to have memories of good times if you can’t remember them.”
The first memory Sumy created for herself in her wanderlust to see the world began at the age of 29 on her trip to Greece. She was caught between where she wanted to go.
“I picked Athens, Greece for my first trip during my deployment to Iraq from 2007 to 2009,” Sumy said. “I flew into Athens and visited five different islands on that trip. They were really beautiful and I learned a lot on that visit. I even went on a guided tour to see a volcano on one of the small islands.”
Her first trip was a solo trip. She traveled alone, which was a challenge at first, especially with not speaking the native language.
“The first time you travel by yourself can be pretty scary,” she said. “You’ll get that feeling in your stomach where you almost want to make the plane turn around and take you back to someplace familiar.”
The first stop on the guided tour would be one of the first obstacles for her — an island full of Greek locals who didn’t speak a bit of English.
“I remember the captain saying feel free to walk around. We’re going to be here for a few hours. There are some nice restaurants and souvenir shops, and oh by the way, no one here speaks English, so immediately I’m like great … this is going to be tough,” she laughed.
The language barrier on her little island stop was no deterrent for wanting to see all the sights, sounds and smells the area had to offer.
“Honestly, you come to realize that once you squeeze an orange hard enough no more juice is going to come out—that’s what living in one area for a while does to me,” Sumy said. “I realize that’s what some places have come to be for me. There are a lot of places I’ve never been to, places I’ve never seen and I want to go to those places until I can say been there done that.”
Since returning to Iraq for her second deployment, Sumy has created more memories for herself. She took part in a writing contests to bring awareness to serious issues affecting soldiers, ran in numerous races to test her stamina, as well as competed in a weight-lifting competition to inspire more women to take part in events mostly male dominated.
“If I just get up and go to work every day, I would get bored real quickly,” she laughed. “I like to do as much as I can to show my support, test myself and have a good time out here!”
Even with all her activities, researching vacations, it’s hard to imagine time for work; however, it still gets done.
“I’m working from 1800 to 0600 each night,” she said. “The hours are tough because when I go to bed, everyone else is just getting up. When I’m trying to participate in special events, I have to schedule it with the day-shift (noncommissioned officer in charge). Usually, it’s not a problem, … sometimes I can’t make it, but you roll with the punches.”
As the days continue on to the eventual moment where the soldiers of the 2nd AAB, 25th Inf. Div., return from Iraq, Sumy plans to carry on her goal to see the world.
“I’ll be in (Los Angeles) when we get back from Iraq for some business, but once that’s over, I’ll be on to my next destination,” she said.
While that destination is sure to be as amazing as her previous trips, there’s only one current goal in mind for the aspiring world traveler – Thailand.
“I want to pet a tiger,” she laughs. “Thailand is one of the few places in the world where you can go and pet a real tiger, so it’s where I’ll be for R&R this year!”
As the sun begins to rise and signal the start of a new day, in reality, it’s the end of shift for Sumy. It may be some time still before she sets foot in her next country but her quest lives on.
While others will go home to visit their old stomping grounds, Sumy might watch Manta Rays in the ocean, ride on dogsleds in the frigid North, or visits ancient sites in Europe, but it’s all in her quest to see as much of the world as it has to offer.
| Date Taken: | 01.24.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 01.25.2011 08:31 |
| Story ID: | 64165 |
| Location: | CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE WARHORSE, IQ |
| Web Views: | 464 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Warrior Brigade sergeant on quest to see the world, by SSG Ricardo Branch, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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